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“It is a different world [in hospitals] we became Anna’s carers as well as her parents,” said her dad, Rob.

“At first you are in shock and all the troubling thoughts go through your head but you have to move away from that and focus on the positive.

“I saw it like a prison sentence – you do your time and then you get through it.”

While going through treatment Anna lost her hair and had to be fed through a tube.

But her dad has described her as an inspiration for the way she coped with the rigours of treatment being so young.

The charity was set up in memory of Anna Hughes (Image: Submitted)

“Anna was always full of energy. She was quite a wonderful surprise as she came along when we were in our 40s," he said.

“She left us exhausted in a positive way.

“Like a lot of children who go through chemotherapy her character changed. She got away with being naughty because of what she was going through it was tolerated.

“As a three-year-old she was very mature. A lot of her conversation was with adults rather than little children.

“She was very sociable and very caring. She didn’t like to see other children in pain even though she was only three. She was very brave.

“We are proud and privileged to have known her. We think about her always as she is with us all the time.”

Rob and wife, Carole decided to use their daughter's death as a way to help others and months after laying their little girl to rest they launched Anna’s Hope – a charity to help children and families affected by brain tumours through specialist neuro-rehabilation

The charity wants to help other children with brain tumours (Image: Submitted)

They are actively trying to help fund research to find a cure but also want to ensure those who survive the condition in the meantime are able to lead as full a life as possible.

The condition is the biggest killer in children's cancer - and the family want to see more money invested into research.

He said: “The overall reason is we want to find a cure.

“Equally, those children who have been have had a brain tumour still need a lot of support to help them reach their full potential.

“We want to give those who survive the best chance of a full life.

“The impact of treatment can compromise them so as charity we fund specialist neuro-rehabiliation.”